I thought I'd post about "East of Eden" before I read the whole book. I am about 350 pages in and I am loving it. I think it is my favorite book so far this summer. The only thing I really knew about the book before I started reading was that it was loosely based on the Adam and Eve narrative and that it is considered Steinbeck's masterpiece.

What I am loving so much about the book is how well it reads. I feel like I can read for hours and never get tired of the story (with the rare exception of one or two chapters) because the language and writing style flow so well. I also think that some of the characters in the book are so well developed that I feel like I almost know these people personally. Cathy is one of the most evil well created characters I can think of in all of literature and Samuel Hamilton is almost her polar opposite. So, I'm really enjoying this read.

I do have some questions, though. Does this book seem a bit misogynistic? Is Cathy really supposed to represent Eve? If so, is she supposed to represent the curse that some people think women bare (original sin)? Even Adam's Mother is none existent in the book and most of the women are absent/minor characters. The book just seems filled with hard working men and crazy women. even Lisa Hamilton is kind of a stubborn puritan who didn't seem to appreciate her seemingly angelic husband. Faye is a great character, but she was running a brothel. I don't know. I guess it just seems a bit lop-sided in that respect. I suppose I will have more to say about this after I finish the whole book.